11 Epic Songs That Are Everything! | Playlist 🎧

11 Epic Songs That Are Everything! features Barry White, Billie Eilish, Kehlani, Perfume Genius, and The Stylistics.  

If at all possible, you should be prepared for any and EVERYTHING! Prepping for everything is virtually impossible, but we as humans can anticipate as much as possible.  So, what’s my point? Well, that’s a very good question, honestly!  Maybe I don’t have a point, but what I do know is that this music compendium, 🎧 11 Epic Songs That Are Everything!, encompasses EVERYTHING – the word, of course.

🎧 11 Epic Songs That Are Everything! Features ‘everything’ songs courtesy of 🎙 Barry White, 🎙 Billie Eilish, 🎙 Kehlani, 🎙 Perfume Genius, and 🎙 The Stylistics among others. This playlist serves up classic soul, disco, pop, alternative pop, and R&B.  We love to keep things eclectic, and 🎧 11 Epic Songs That Are Everything! So, without further ado, gets your listening ears ready for… EVERYTHING!

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1. Kehlani, “everything”

💿 blue water road • 🏷 TSNMI / Atlantic • 📅 2022

🏆 Grammy-nominated R&B singer/songwriter 🎙 Kehlani has been firmly planted in the LGBTQ+ community for a while.  Her membership is not news, and she’s incorporated queer elements into her music many times. However, the formerly bisexual artist informed us she’s a lesbian in 2021. Knowing her sexuality brings more perspective to one of the brightest spots on her underappreciated 2022 album, 💿 blue water road, 🎵 “Everything”.

Kehlani sings beautifully, expressively, and most of all, authentically.  Listening to the record, you don’t feel like she is holding back – she’s giving her true feelings and best performance.  The chorus is the centerpiece:

“’Cause, baby, it’s the everything for me

For me, yeah, for me

Baby, it’s the everything for me

For me, yeah, oh, for me

‘Cause, baby, it’s the everything, no tryin’

You be shinin’, my silver linin’

‘Cause, baby, it’s the everything for me

For me, yeah, oh, for me.”

Safe to say, Kehlani is vibing with this woman.  If you need further evidence, just check out the verses, where she compliments her.  The second verse, in particular, confirms these ‘everything’ feels.  All told, this is a terrific R&B song and, a great addition to the LGBTQ+ catalog.  Also, shout out 🎛 Pop Wansel and 🎛 Happy Perez for the chill, radiant production work.

Appears in 🔻:

• Kehlani, “everything”: LGBTQ Bopz 🌈🎶 24 (2022)
• 13 E Songs: No Rhyme or Reason, Vol. 2

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2. The Stylistics, “You Are Everything”

💿 The Stylistics – The Original Debut Album • 🏷 Amherst • 🗓 1971

When you hear the name 🎙 The Stylistics, one of the first soul gems that come to mind is 🎵 “You are Everything”. The top-10 Billboard Hot 100 hit (no. 9) graces the Philadelphia soul collective’s critically acclaimed, 1971 album, 💿 The Stylistics.  The gold-certified “You Are Everything” was written by 🎼 ✍ Thom Bell and 🎼 ✍ Linda Creed – elite songwriters!

Singing the lead on this lush ballad is 🎙 Russell Thompkins Jr., who also sings background vocals too. “You are Everything” is the perfect soul record, even if only one Stylistic is utilized! The harmonized vocals, using various other vocalists, are stunning, especially against that Philly soul backdrop.  Thematically, it encompasses expired love – one you can’t forget about.  Thompkins asserts, “I just can’t go on / Living life as I do / Comparing each girl with you / Knowing they just won’t do / They’re not you.”  Why are they not you? Well, that’s where the tuneful chorus comes into play: “You are everything / And everything is you.” Woo! All told, The Stylistics’ 🎵 “You are Everything” ranks among the elites when it comes to soul classics.

Appears In 🔻:

• The Stylistics, “You are Everything”: Throwback Vibez 🕶️🎶 68 (2022)

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3. Billie Eilish, “everything I wanted”

🎵 “everything I wanted” • 🏷 Darkroom / Interscope • 📅 2019

“I had a dream / I got everything I wanted / But when I wake up, I see / You with me.” 🏆 Grammy-winning alternative pop artist 🎙 Billie Eilish, who came through big at the 2020 Grammys with 💿 WHEN WE ALL FALL ASLEEP, WHERE DO WE GO?, added another Grammy to the collection thanks to 🎵 “everything I wanted.” Once more, Eilish enlists the services of her bro, 🎛️ FINNEAS, behind the boards. As always, Finneas provides his sister with some musical magic.

“If I could change the way that you see yourself

You wouldn’t wonder why you hear

‘They don’t deserve you’.”

Billie Eilish is not a flashy singer.  Once again, she delivers a calm, cool, and collected vocal performance on “everything I wanted.” Even so, the listener leans on every word and every note that Eilish sings – she’s quite hypnotic, sucking you in.  Adding to her own hypnotic approach, Finneas’ production yields a similar effect – well put together, yet much more subtle as opposed to overt.  The end result is a gorgeous record that honestly provides just about “everything you’d want.”

Appears In 🔻:

• 13 E Songs Selected with No Rhyme or Reason
• 13 Gripping Wants and or Needs Songs

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4. Perfume Genius, “Your Body Changes Everything”

💿 Set My Heart on Fire Immediately • 🏷 Matador • 🗓 2020

“Give me your weight, I’m solid / Hold me up, I’m falling down.” On his stellar fifth studio album, 💿 Set My Heart on Fire Immediately, 🎙 Perfume Genius (🎙 Mike Hadreas) exhibited a high level of musicianship.  One of the truly terrific LGBTQ+ artists in the game, Hadreas is ALWAYS worth highlighting. 🎵 “Your Body Changes Everything” is a totally worthwhile listen. Hadreas told Apple Music, “I wrote ‘Your Body Changes Everything’ about the idea of not bringing prescribed rules into connection — physical, emotional, long-term, short-term — having each of those be guided by instinct and feel, and allowed to shift and change whenever it needed to.” Woo – that deep!

As far as the sound of the record, the electronic drums and programming stand out. The record successfully balances vintage sounds and more contemporary alternative/chamber pop. Vocally, Hadreas delivers authentic, emotional vocals, expressing the power of love and desire. The chorus is the centerpiece, in all its poetry and reflection:

“Your body changes everything

You are anchoring

Until you fit beneath me

And you’re breaking like a wave

Your body changes everything

I can hardly breathe

And now you’re right above me

And your shadow suffocates.”

In the post-chorus, Hadreas has a series of questions for his lover including, “Can you feel my love? Do you feel the same?” Hadreas commentates, “A lot of times, I feel like I’m supposed to pick one thing—one emotion, one way of being. But sometimes, I’m two contradicting things at once.” Perfume Genius perfectly captures that in this totally must-hear record.

 

Appears in 🔻:

• Perfume Genius, “Your Body Changes Everything”: LGBTQ Bopz 🌈🎶 14 (2022)

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5. Snoh Aalegra, “EVERYTHING”

💿 Temporary Highs in the Violet Skies • 🏷 Artium Recordings, Inc. / Roc Nation • 📅 2021

“You make me feel how I should feel / With you, I just have it all / ‘Cause you are, ‘cause you are.” 🎵 “Everything” appears near the end of  💿 Temporary Highs in the Violet Skies, the 🏆 Grammy-nominated, third studio album from 🎙 Snoh Aalegra. Following the brief 🎵 “Taste,” “Everything” runs north of four minutes.  Those four minutes are fantastic – utterly celestial.

“Everything” is a neo-soul record that would’ve been at home in the late 90s and early aughts when the movement was huge.  No worries, in 2021, “Everything” makes us reminisce about ‘everything’ we love about those golden days of R&B.  The dedicated spirit of love is never taken for granted, particularly for those of us that are hopeless romantics.  Even those of us who aren’t 🎵 “Boo’d Up” can long for that feeling that Aalegra sings so convincingly.

“Everything to me

Everything to me

You feel like everything I need

You’re my everything.”

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6. Aloe Blacc, “All Love Everything”

💿 All Love Everything • 🏷 BMG Rights Management • 📅 2020

“It’s like all love everything / I wanna wake up in the morning with a wedding ring…” The dedication is real – L-I-T 🔥 – on 🎵 “All Love Everything.” The talented 🎙 Aloe Blacc returned in 2020, following a six-year hiatus.  Following up a gargantuan hit like 🎵 “The Man” is tough, but Blacc comes through nicely on 💿 All Love Everything, all told. Sure, he does little to move the needle, but his focus on love, dedication, monogamy, and being an upstanding man is a terrific message.

“Doing anything with you is my favorite thing

Like the sweetest melody, you make my heart sing out like.” 

Love is crucial on the album’s title track. “All Love Everything” suits Aloe, blending contemporary soul and pop, with the utmost finesse.  Sure, it’s old-fashioned to some extent, bucking the trends of modern R&B, but there’s something refreshing about an artist who keeps it classy as opposed to devolving into sex. Monogamy never sounded better!

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7. Jhené Aiko, “Happiness Over Everything (H.O.E.)” (Ft. Future & Miguel)

💿 Chilombo • 🏷 Def Jam • 📅 2020

On 🎵 “Happiness Over Everything (H.O.E.)”, R&B artist 🎙 Jhené Aiko is assisted by a couple of her 🏆 Grammy-winning friends: 🎙 Future and 🎙 Miguel. Furthermore, she receives lush production, courtesy of 🎛 Fisticuffs.  Future kicks things off in the intro, where “Red roses damn near turn to ashes” and “These dirty blogs got your mind damaged.”

Miguel takes the reins from there, handling the majority of the chorus:

“I hope she don’t think that I think that she some kinda ho

I don’t care, that just lets me know that she knows what she wants, yeah.”

Jhené Aiko enters the mix on the first verse, her biggest role as the lead artist, singing about sex: “That print in them sweatpants got me weak off in my knees.” Future is the main attraction once again on the second, raising some eyebrows when he gets ‘spiritual’ (“They misunderstood me when they say I’m Jesus Christ / I just want you to worship me, I like what I like”). Although more Aiko would’ve been nice, it’s an enjoyable, sexy standout from her 🏆 Grammy-nominated third studio album, 💿 Chilombo.

Appears in 🔻:

• 15 Interesting Songs That Feature Acronym Titles

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8. Arcade Fire, “Everything Now”

💿 Everything Now • 🏷 Arcade Fire Music / Sony • 📅 2017

🎙 Arcade Fire returned in a big way in 2017 with the dance-rock record, 🎵 “Everything Now”.  “Everything Now” arrived as the promo single from 💿 Everything Now. Frontman 🎙 Win Butler delivers a respectable, tasteful vocal performance, intact with its fair share of playful moments.  The production work is superb, incorporating rhythmic guitars which help retain an acoustic, folksy vibe that contrasts the disco sensibilities.

So, what’s the modus operandi of “Everything Now”? It’s simple – it’s literally everything now 🤷. Throughout the song, the phrase means different things, both good and bad.  A perfect example occurs in the first verse.  The listener can determine the connotation.

“Every inch of space in your head

Is filled with the things that you read

I guess you’ve got everything now

And every film that you’ve ever seen

Fills the spaces up in your dreams.”

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9. Al Green, “Everything’s Gonna Be Alright”

💿 Soul Survivor • 🏷 A&M • 📅 1987

“I know that everything is gonna be alright / He’s coming back / Like He said he would.” Now that’s a word right there! By the 1980s, 🎙 Al Green was firmly entrenched in gospel music, leaving his secular days behind him.  As a music enthusiast, few will characterize his gospel period as being more notable than his beloved secular catalog. Even though the soul fell by the wayside from the Pastor, he still possessed soulful, once-in-a-lifetime pipes.  On the groovy, uplifting 🎵 “Everything’s Gonna Be Alright”, Green both fits into the mid-late 80s sound (heading into the New Jack Swing era) and delivers the word.

Basically, Green is urging us not to give into S-I-N but rather, give into HIM – you won’t regret the decision!  “Don’t let this world mislead you,” Green sings in the first verse, continuing, “Don’t you ever go astray / Trust in God’s word and believe it ‘cause it’ll never pass away.” Say that, say that 🙌 ! Later, Al encourages all “Give your love and life to God / He’ll give you a peace of mind.” Furthermore, Green wants everyone to be prepared when God comes back – it’s imminent! Arguably, “Everything’s Gonna Be Alright” is dated by today’s sound standards (it’s very 80s) but that dynamic voice and the uplifting message remain pitch perfect.

Appears in 🔻:

• Al Green, “Everything’s Gonna Be Alright”: Sunday Refresh 🙏 9 (2022)

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10. Barry White, “You’re the First, The Last, My Everything”

💿 Can’t Get Enough • 🏷 UMG Recordings, Inc. • 🗓 1974

“We got it together, didn’t we? / We’ve definitely got our thing together, don’t we baby?” Ooh wee, 🎙 Barry White! The deep-voiced soul singer had a mega-hit with 🎵 “You’re the First, The Last, My Everything”, which peaked at no. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100. So, why is “You’re the First, The Last, My Everything” so epic? It starts with White; his baritone vocals are dope AF.  Beginning with the intro, the sexiness and sex appeal is on 10. White has a once-in-a-lifetime musical instrument to work with – a tone that is to die for.  Beyond the voice, what about the lushness of the music? The orchestration and production are elite.  And thematically, love is the modus operandi.

“You’re you’re all I’m living for

Your love I’ll keep forevermore

(You’re the first)

You’re the first

(My last)

You’re the last

My everything.”

Perhaps most interesting about “You’re the First, The Last, My Everything” is its origin. Co-writer 🎼 ✍ Peter Sterling Radcliffe initially wrote this as a country record! White transformed it into an utterly sublime disco/soul masterpiece.  🎼 ✍ Tony Sepe is also credited as a songwriter. Barry White is the man, period.

 

Appears in 🔻:

• Barry White, “You’re the First, The Last, My Everything”: Throwback Vibez 🕶️🎶 69 (2022)

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11. The Byrds, “Turn! Turn! Turn! (To Everything There is a Season)”

💿 Turn! Turn! Turn! • 🏷 Sony Music Entertainment • 📅 1965 

So, let’s get a little ‘spiritual’ – a little Biblical – shall we?  From the Book of Ecclesiastes, specifically Ecclesiastes 3 (NIV): ¹ There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens: ² A time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot, ³ A time to kill and a time to heal… No, The Musical Hype doesn’t promote religion (that’s everyone’s own choice to make) but we are providing the source of 🎙 The Byrds’ 1965 classic, 🎵 “Turn! Turn! Turn! (To Everything There is a Season).”

The folk-rock record, written by the legendary 🎼 ✍ Pete Seeger, is based on the text from Ecclesiastes 3 from the Old Testament.  Even if you’re not particularly religious, this passage of scripture, and the song itself, is quite prudent and thoughtful.  If you’ve never encountered “Turn! Turn! Turn!” at some point, you’re totally missing out.

Appears in 🔻:

• Turn: 5ive Songs (2021) No. 3
• 11 Songs You Surely Must Turn Up

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11 Epic Songs That Are Everything! [📷: A&M, Amherst, Arcade Fire Music, Artium Recordings, Inc., Atlantic, BMG Rights Management, Brent Faulkner, Darkroom, Def Jam, Interscope, Matador, The Musical Hype, Sony Music Entertainment, TSNMI, UMG Recordings, Inc.]

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